Hindus find new faiths in marriage

The perfect man for Aparna Kachalia, who was born to Hindu
parents from Bombay, will be one who loves the 20-year-old
Edison resident and treats her well.

If he happens to be Hindu, great. If not, no problem.

"A lot of people in my generation are more open to
marrying outside the religion," said Kachalia, a
Dartmouth sophomore. "It depends on how open your
family is ... My mom says that as long as he loves you and
takes care of you, that's all that matters."

Not long ago, that sentiment was rare in the immigrant
Indian-American community. But daughters and sons of Indian
immigrants who have grown up in this country are
increasingly likely to marry outside the faith, according to
interviews with Hindus in New Jersey.

In fact, a Pew Forum survey conducted last year that
indicated 90 percent of American Hindus marry within their
religion raised eyebrows in local Hindu communities, where
the rate is generally thought to be 65 percent to 70 percent
-- still high, but a noticeable drop from the perceived rate
a decade or two ago.

In New Jersey, where the population of Asian Indians has
risen nearly eightfold since 1980, to 250,000 from 30,000,
according to census data, signs of this trend are easily
visible in cities and towns like Edison, Iselin and
Parsippany, which have large Indian-American populations.
Interfaith couples are commonly spotted at restaurants like
Bombay Talk on Oak Tree Road in Iselin, a street liberally
dotted with Indian businesses.

Dilip Amin, a Bridgewater resident who is Hindu, said he was perplexed by the Pew survey data when it was published in March. Looking more closely at the 207-page report, he found that 86 percent of the 256 Hindus polled were first-generation immigrants. That made more sense, he said, indicating the survey mainly included marriages of immigrants rather than those of their children....